The Progress., 1887-12-17

these lmpresses him deeply. Aper-'
son who is selected to name a child,
tells it Of some dream in which a
certain animal or object figured,
and says, sNe- -ah-wa-ain will be
named after it, and will go after
the animal which I have told you
about" His main object then is
to procure the animal etc., he may
have dreamed of, which the Great
Spirit usually allowed him to Sc
cure; after which it is, cooked and
served out at a grand feast in
which the friends and relatives
participated. The dedicatee then
commences a chant, which has
been composed by him for the oc.
casion, and of words which he
had at sometime during his life
dreamed of. The animal which
has been cooked is a peace offering
to the Great Spirit by the person
who named the child, because he
(god.father) dreamed of this and
knew how to conciliate the Great
Spirit who permitted the child to
be born and allowed it to live.
The Great Spirit very seldom takes
the child away because He pities
the Indian who has confidence in
him. This my grandson, was the
way our ancestors named their
children.
G1RLHooD TO MA1DENHooD.
Bah-cah-ne.gay, or Bay-cah.
nish-co-dah-way different lodge,
or different fire) was a custom fol-
lowed by the women of the Ojibwa
tribe, and was established among
them by an Indian Of whom I will
have much to say later, and whose
name was WAIN.NAH.Boo-zHo. It
will take a long time to tell about
him as all our traditions refers to
him. When the Earth was GOV.
cred with water he was the being
who formed a new one. But ]
will not speak Of him to-day. II
was of the custom regarding wo,
men Of which / am going to speak
Ny grandson, you see by the locks
of my hair, which have been
whitened by the SHOWS of many
winters that l. am very aged man
and many, many moons ago the
custom which | intend to speak of
was followed by our women. Since
the old men of our tribe have al
dropped away, and disappeared
from the earth, and especially
within few years, You never hea,
that a young girl who has JUS
reached puberty is removed or sen
away from an Indian village, tina
is, during the time Nature il
changing her from childhood t.
womanhood, neither do you eve:
hear of a different fire. or q differ
ent LODGE for a woman now. Blu
in those days our women ha,
strong restrictions placed owe
. them. .
, When a young girl first becam
: aware of the change Nature wa
, about to make with her, she i'm
, mediately left the village to whic]
l she belonged, and built at som
l.. distance away from it a sma]
4 wigwam, of a sufficient size to al
!, low her to lie down comfortable
e but not high enough to stand i
t it. She then remained in thi
j, temporary lodge as long as sh
: could fast, which was from five t
: ten days. She would not go an
0 distance from her lodge, for if
d man crossed her tracks while sh
e was undergoing the transition re
e ferred to, he Immediately fell t
:. the ground paralyzed, and it be
0 came necessary for the medicin
+ men to be called in to cure hin
:, MY grandson, you cannot proper
= ly understand without an Illus
tration, how strong spirit fo
good or evil a girl is during thi
n period. When | was a young ma
d | had many warts on my hands
r IN fact they were almost coyere
e BY them, and the old wome
q OF my tribe advised me to 90 60